The global sporting honours annually celebrates the world’s greatest athletes and recognises the inspirational power of sport, and its ability to change lives. The 2022 nominees reflect the world's most impressive sporting achievements over the last year. Selected by a panel of the top sports media, the Nominees represent the best international athletes and sporting performances across seven categories.

The following aquatics athletes and teams have been nominated for the 2022 honours.

Laureus World Sportsman of the Year: Caeleb Dressel (Swimming – USA)

This is Dressel’s second nomination in this category and at just 24, he was the outstanding male swimmer at last summer's Olympic Games, with five gold medals in Tokyo. He won individual golds in the 50m and 100m Freestyle events and 100m Butterfly - the first male swimmer to achieve this treble in the Olympics and also relay golds in the 4x100m Freestyle and 4x100m Medley Relay. He broke his world record in the 100m Butterfly and was part of the world record-breaking Medley Relay team. It took his career total to seven Olympic gold medals, having won two in Rio de Janeiro. He has also won 13 world championship gold medals. He currently holds three long course and six short course world records.

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Katie Ledecky (Swimming – USA) 

Ledecky is in the pantheon of the all-time greatest female swimmers and this is reflected with her fourth Laureus World Sports Award nomination. Ledecky won the 800m and 1,500m Freestyle gold medals in Tokyo and silver medals in the 400m Freestyle and 4x200m Freestyle Relay. She was the most decorated US female athlete for a second straight Summer Olympics. She has now won ten medals across three Olympic Games, including seven golds. Her superiority is complete in the 800m, where she won the gold medal in 2012, 2016 and now in Tokyo, and she is also the world record holder. In total, she has won 30 gold, seven silver and one bronze in Olympics, World Championships and Pan Pacific Championships, and has broken 14 world records.

Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year: Emma McKeon (Swimming – AUS)

With four gold and three bronze, the Australian won the most medals by an individual athlete in Tokyo. She is now tied with gymnast Maria Gorokhovskaya for most medals ever won by a woman in a single Olympic Games. Aged 27, she won her gold medals in the 50m and 100m Individual Freestyle, followed by 4x100m Medley and Freestyle Relays. Yet she might not have been in Tokyo at all. Two years after starring at the Youth Olympic Games in 2010 in Singapore, she came close to walking away from the sport after not making the Australian Olympic team for London in 2012. After a lengthy break, she changed her mind, returned to the sport and has been collecting medals ever since, this is her first time being nominated for a Laureus World Sports Awards. 

Laureus World Team of the Year: China Olympic Diving Team

China completed the greatest diving performance in Olympic history in Tokyo by winning gold medals in seven of the eight events. In the one they did not win, the men’s synchronised 10 metres, they were second.

Among the highlights: Xie Siyi became the first male diver in 20 years to win both the individual and synchronised three-metre springboard at the same Olympics, and Quan Hongchan, aged 14, received perfect 10s from all seven of the judges in two of her five dives as she won the 10-metre platform. Since their first gold medal in 1984, China has won 40 gold medals out of a possible 56.

Laureus World Breakthrough Athlete of the Year: Ariarne Titmus (Swimming – AUS)

Another talented Australian prodigy came of age in the pool in Tokyo, making her Olympic debut at the age of 20. Ariarne Titmus surprised the swimming world by beating defending champion Katie Ledecky twice, at both the 200m and 400m Freestyle, posting a new Olympic record of 1 min 53.50 secs in the 200m. The two defeats in 48 hours were only the first and second-time Ledecky had lost individual finals in her three Olympic Games. Titmus also earned a silver medal in the 800m Freestyle final, this time finishing 1.26 seconds behind Ledecky, and bronze in the 4x200m Freestyle Relay. Titmus said of Ledecky: “I just thanked her. I wouldn’t be here without her. She’s set this standard.”

Laureus World Comeback of the Year: Tom Daley (Diving – GBR)

Unbelievably, Tom Daly had knee surgery in June and could not walk just weeks before the Olympics. He managed to recover in record time to compete in Tokyo, winning his first-ever gold medal at his fourth Olympic Games, partnering with Matty Lee to win the 10m synchronised title. He also won bronze in the individual 10m platform. He had been striving for Olympic gold since the age of 14 and now, at 27, and was conscious that his performance in Tokyo could be his last chance. At the FINA Diving World Cup in May, held in Japan as a test event, he also won gold in the synchronised with Lee and gold in the individual 10m platform. This is Daley’s second Laureus World Sports Awards nomination. 

In our humble opinion, these FINA athletes are all incredibly well-deserving Laureus nominees, and we are wishing them the very best of luck! The 2022 Laureus Sports Awards will take place in the spring, with the winners announced as part of a virtual ceremony... be the first to know who the winners are by signing up for the Laureus news updates here.